Axle.



11045.1,444. 'PATENTED APR.19,1|904. J. H. ENTREKIN.

AXLE. urmornon nnnn me. 14, 1903.

no xonnn.

Are/757,444.

UNITED STATES Patented April 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

AXLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,444, dated April19, 1904:.

7 Application filed August 14, 1903. Serial No. 169,524. (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, J OS EPH H. ENTREKIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Craig, in the county of Burt and State of Nebraska,have invented new and useful Improvements in Axles, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention pertains to that class of axles which comprise removablespindles; and it consists in the novel and advantageous axle hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claim appended.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a top plan View of one end portion of an axle constructed inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a longitudinal central sectiontaken in the plane indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 atransverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig.1

Both end portions of my improved axle embody the same construction, andI have therefore deemed it suflicient to illustrate one end portion.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of thedrawings, referring to Which A is an axletree, of steel or othersuitable metal, having a circular and threaded end portion a.

r B is a spindle having athreaded socket Z) in its inner end, designedto receive the threaded end portion a of the axletree, and C is a screwbearing in a threaded aperture 0 in the wall of socket 6 and adapted tobe set against the end portion a of the axletree, with aview of securingthe spindle thereon and holding said spindle against casual rotation andbecoming loose.

In virtue of the axletree being provided with a circular and threadedend a and the spindle with a threaded socket b it will be observed thatwhen the spindle is screwed up on the threaded end a and fixed thereonthrough the medium of the screw C the mouth of the socket will betightly closed and grease and dirt effectually prevented from enteringthe said socket, where the former would be liable to cause the screw towork loose. It

will also be observed that the provision of the circular end a on theaxletree and the socket 6 in the spindle does not weaken the axle, sincethe circular end of the tree occupies and reinforces the wall of thesocket 6 and is in turlrli reinforced and strengthened by said wa Inorder to effectually prevent the screw C from casually working loosewhen said screw is set against the threaded end a of the axletree, Imake the head d of said screw angular, preferably rectangular, as shown,and provide the spring-fastener D, preferably of sheet metal. Thisfastener is pivotally connected at one end to the spindle B and isprovided adjacent to its opposite end with a rectangular opening 6,designed to receive the head 0? of the screw, after the manner shown.The said opening a is flanged, as indicated by f, in order to give thefastener a broad bearing against the headof the screw. When the fastenerD is in the position shown over the head all of screw 0 it will beobserved that casual rotation of the screw is precluded, and hence thereis no liability of the spindle becoming loose on the axletree. When,however, the fastener is pried up and swung laterally out of engagementwith the screw, it will be observed that the screw may be readily turnedwith a wrench, and when it is removed the spindle may be quickly andeasily turned off the end a of the axletree.

' I have entered into a detailed description of the construction andrelative arrangement of the parts embraced in the present and preferredembodiment of my invention in order to impart a full, clear, and exactunderstandits inner end, snugly receiving said end of the tree, and alsohaving a threaded aperture in the Wall of the socket, a screw bearing insaid aperture of the spindle, and set against the 5 threaded end of thetree; said screw having an angular head, and a spring-fastener pivoted,at one end, on the spindle, and having an angular aperture, adjacent toits opposite end, receiving the head of the screw, and also havingflanges f bearing against the sides of said IO head. i

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand 1n presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

' JOSEPH H. ENTREKIN.

Witnesses: J. W. HOLMQUIST, A. B. PEDEN.

